Omega Wanted: Bad Boy Mpreg Romance

by Stephan James

  Its powerful jaws clamped down around air as he lurched away. His foot sinking into the mud, he yelped out in pain as his ankle twisted painfully. Screaming in pain he fell backward, he felt his head slam harshly against the trunk of a tree, his vision swimming as he lay in the mud.

  Looking up through the cloud that filled his gaze, he groaned and gasped as the massive beast from before lumbered forward. Slowly, the creature changed, shifting into something that resembled a man. As the form loomed forward, Caleb felt his stomach lurch and fear roll through his chest. Before he could cry out, a human face faded into his view and he swore he heard a curse fall from what had once been the beast’s lips.

  As his consciousness faded, Caleb heard a soft curse and felt strong arms lift him up against a warm chest. His eyes fluttering, Caleb was too dizzy to protest and too weak to as much as scream. He realized quickly he was going to die.

  Just as he felt his head roll back against his chest, he glanced upwards towards the beast holding him. A few little balls of golden light danced around the creature’s face, and for a moment, illuminated features that resembled a man’s. As the little shimmering lights faded away, Caleb’s eyes rolled back in his head. Unconsciousness claimed him like a warm blanket, wrapping around him as he fell into oblivion.

  He was dead.

  His friends had abandoned him and he was dead, eaten by the monster that he hadn’t even wanted to go hunting for in the first place.

  The slender stream of light currently sifting into his vision was the light at the end of the tunnel. The gateways to heaven opening up for him to walk through. He wasn’t ready to die, but at least he didn’t feel the agony that he must have gone through being eaten alive.

  “You wakin’ up there, Cher?” The male voice that filled Caleb’s ear was joined shortly by a wave of pain that left his stomach rolling painfully. A gentle hand settled on his back and another placed a bucket in front of him as he sat up and wretched violently. “There ya go, let it out. Ya hit your head pretty hard. I’m not surprised you aren’t feeling well.

  Waves of nausea-inducing pain in his skull slowly faded away until he could finally focus on the man’s gentle hand on his back, rubbing circles against his spine until he could finally pull back. Panting, Caleb swore as he sat back, his hand reaching up to press against his throbbing forehead.

  With the threat of losing his organs gone, he slowly started to relax again, trembling as he took in his surroundings.

  He was in what appeared to be a hunting shack. A small one roomed space with a kitchen in the corner, a small bathroom off to the side, and a bed pushed up against a wall. It was cozy, but incredibly cramped. From where he was sitting on the bed, he could see a few pictures plastered to the wall as well as stacks of canned goods and instant food. Wherever he was, it was obviously not anywhere that the occupant wanted to be found.

  “Hey now,” The voice sounded again, a gentle hand leading his gaze back towards the speaker. For the first time, his savior’s face faded into Caleb’s line of sight, and he felt his heart flutter at the sight of him.

  He was handsome, incredibly so. His appearance was flawless to a point that Caleb was starting to think he might have actually entered heaven after all and the pain was some sort of phantom residue from the attack. Sun-kissed skin highlighted a pair of eyes that Caleb swore were made of liquid gold. Shaggy auburn hair hung around his face and brushed against his chin and stubble covered his chiseled cheekbones. The man was built like some sort of god, and it left Caleb breathless.

  “You alright there?” The man asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he brushed some of Caleb’s shaggy locks from his face. “What’s your name?”

  “Cal-Caleb,” Caleb managed to squeak out, the man seeming satisfied with his answer as he sat back.

  “Good, thought ya might have hit your head so hard ya scrambled your brain,” The mystery man laughed, patting Caleb’s knee as he studied him slowly. A clap of thunder above them sending a sigh from his lips. “Merde, I was hopin’ the rain would hold off until I got ya home.” He swore, moving to his feet and peering out into the swamp that surrounded them.

  “I um, sorry if this sounds rude, but who are you?” Caleb asked, sitting back against the wall in an attempt to soothe his aching head. Glancing over his shoulder, his rescuer grinned sheepishly.

  “And here I was hopin’ you’d be too distracted to ask,” He sighed, moving into the kitchen and setting a teapot onto the stove. “Emeric.” He explained before glancing over at Caleb curiously. “Emeric Benoit, you and your friends were waltzing around on my property when you tried to knock your brains out and I found you. What were you doin’ out here anyway?”

  “I’m sorry for trespassing, we didn’t know anyone owned this area,” Caleb grimaced, looking startled when the other moved over with a cup of tea for them both. Accepting it with a blush when their hands touched, he coughed and looked down.

  “What were ya doin’ looking around the swamp at night anyway? That’s a great way to get yourself snagged by a gator, or in your case a tree,” Emeric’s tone was serious, but his eyes were sparkling with amusement. Flushing darkly, Caleb coughed and looked down with a sigh.

  “We were looking for a monster,” he muttered softly, “And we found him! He was huge! Part panther, part gator, part human! It was amazing, and it chased me and I swore that I saw it change into a man when I feel unconscious before you…” Caleb frowned, feeling his heart flutter with realization. Emeric seemed to notice his realization as well, shaking his head and trailing his fingers through his hair.

  “There ain’t a monster out here,” Emeric explained, glancing over at the younger man with sad eyes. “Or maybe there is, the verdicts still up on that.” He laughed sadly, trailing his fingers through his hair as he sat back.

  “You…” Caleb started, his eyes following the man’s features, “I remember you. Last night when I fell, I saw your face. You were…you were the monster!” he pointed out with huge eyes, biting his lip when the other flinched and looked down with a soft curse.

  “I figured you woulda remembered me. Ya looked right at me. I tried to bring ya to your friends, but they were long gone by the time I got ya over there,” Emeric grimaced, running his fingers through his hair shakily. “I ain’t a monster.” He muttered, glaring at Caleb before sighing and biting his lip. “I’m…well, it’s a long story.”

  Glancing up at the window, Caleb bit his lip as the rain started to hammer down from the sky. Sighing, he reached out and placed his hand on the beautiful man’s arm.

  “Well, we’ve got some time,” he mumbled softly, “From the looks of it, it’s been awhile since you’ve been around people, and I’m a pretty good listener.” He insisted, blushing when Emeric turned towards him and smiled.

  “Alright then,” Emeric sighed, running his fingers through his hair and fishing a cigarette from his jacket pocket. Lighting it, he lifted it up to his lips and took a drag from the cancer stick. “Guess it’s just a matter of figuring out where to start. I’ve never told anyone my story before, so I hope that you’re ready for one hell of a freak show.” He muttered.

  Leaning up against the wall of the small shack, Caleb studied the man in front of him curiously while he sipped at his tea. It took a few long moments of silence for Emeric to decide how to start his story, the man’s gold eyes studying his cup as if it would tell him how to begin.

  “I suppose the first thing for me to start with is that I ain’t normal, we ain’t supposed to be able to turn into two animals like I am, but every few generations one of us pops up that’s stronger than the rest,” He pointed out, glancing up at Caleb with a frown. “Now, I don’t know how much of the story is true, but my ma used to tell me stories of how when the Cajuns were exiled from Acadia, there was a group of ‘em who split off on their own and made some deals with a voodoo doctor in order to give them abilities that would help them become rulers of the land that they had been exiled to.”

  Nod
ding slowly, Caleb listened attentively to the man’s story, feeling his heart flutter with excitement at the mention of magic and deals with magic men. He had heard stories his entire life about the magic of the swamp, but he never thought that it was real.

  “I’m not sure if the doctor just misinterpreted what they asked for, or if he purposefully cursed my ancestors, but he gave them powers, just not ones that they expected,” Emeric explained, leaning back and pulling out a cigarette, lifting it to his lips he lit it and took a long drag from the filter before continuing. “My family and the descendants of the other men who asked for powers can all change into the ‘lords of the swamp’.” He grinned, letting the smoke spill from his nose slowly, “Most of ‘em can turn into panthers, crocs, bears, coyotes, boars, I even knew one woman who could change into a pelican.”

  “How come no one’s ever heard of this? It seems like an entire group of people who can change into creatures is bound to be noticed eventually,” Caleb pointed out, earning a snort from Emeric.

  “They’ve had a couple hundred years to figure out how to keep it secret,” He winked, trailing his fingers through his hair slowly. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m already on their hit-list, I wouldn’t be telling you this right now.” He explained. “They have rules that are meant to be followed strictly, and my pa? He was in charge of the whole thing. I was supposed to take over for him, but there was a revolution. A man called Blaise attacked and killed my pa, and forced me to go into hiding. He thinks I’m dead, and it’s better if he and his goons continue to think that.”

  “So you’re just planning on living your life in the middle of a swamp by yourself? Won’t you get lonely?” Caleb asked curiously, earning a soft smile from Emeric.

  “Ain’t you a sweet little thing, worryin’ about a stranger who just yesterday was chasin’ ya through the woods,” Emeric laughed, sighing as he glanced over at the rain covered window. “I’ll be fine. I was never going to be a good leader anyway. It’s better if I keep my nose clean and do my best to stay away from people.”

  Caleb didn’t know why this was so upsetting. The man was right, he didn’t know a damn thing about the man, and here he was trying to figure out ways to fix his life. He didn’t know why, but he had a desire to help the man that was deeper than he felt a stranger should have.

  “I don’t know why I want to help you, but I do,” Caleb pointed out, reaching out and resting his hand on Emeric’s thigh, startled when he felt a strange surge of electricity curl up his arm at the touch. “No one should have to live alone like this. Come back to town with me. You can stay in my room until we figure something out.” He insisted, earning a raised eyebrow from Emeric.

  “You want to let a monster move into your room?” He laughed, running his fingers through his hair. “Didn’t your ma ever tell you not to talk to strangers?” Shrugging, Caleb smiled up at the other with a slight blush.

  “Well, I don’t think that you’re a monster,” Caleb pointed out firmly, blushing when the man raised a dark eyebrow. “I want to help you, and honestly, if that makes me crazy I’m alright with it.” He shrugged, reaching out to offer the man his hand. “So what do you say?”

  Chuckling, Emeric reached out and took the other’s hand, his eyes studying the smaller determined man curiously.

  “Now, I ain’t gonna hide out in your closest, but I’ll come into town with ya. I’ll give ya a shot at reintroducing me to living with people,” He winked, leaning back against the wall again and closing his eyes. “It’ll be nice to get back into town, guess I can’t hide out forever, but remember I ain’t stayin’ with ya. I’ll be heading back into the woods as soon as the day ends.” He mumbled, earning a soft pleased noise from Caleb.

  Looking up at Emeric through his lashes, he felt his heart flutter in the chest at the dimly lit features of the man’s face. At least this meant he’d get to spend a little bit of time with the other. He wasn’t sure where this determination was coming from, but he really wanted the other to be able to stay in town with him.

  “Try not to fall this time?” Emeric teased as he walked easily through the muddy ground surrounding his house looking amused as Caleb did everything in his power to stay standing.

  “Shut up! Not all of us have special powers,” Caleb huffed, stumbling and squeaking as Emeric rolled his eyes and scooped him up into his powerful arms. “I can walk!” he protested with a grumble.

  “Not really,” Emeric insisted, holding the man in his arms as he made his way easily through the mud without seeming to be bothered in the slightest. “Relax, Cher, it’s not like there’s anyone around here to see ya.” He laughed when Caleb turned pink with embarrassment, hiding his face against the larger man’s chest.

  Caleb didn’t protest, knowing full well that he wasn’t going to be able to keep up with the shifter. The other had a grace that he had never seen before and seemed more at home in the swamp than most of the animals did. He moved through the brush with apparent ease, his eyes flickering down to meet Caleb’s when he caught him staring.

  “Whatcha lookin’ at?” he asked with an amused look on his face. Blushing, Caleb looked down with a grumble; he had hoped the other wouldn’t notice he was staring.

  “Nothing, you’ve got something on your face,” Caleb lied, smirking when Emeric looked confused. Reaching up, he smeared some of the dirt on his hand over the other’s face earning a laugh from the man.

  “You little shit!” Emeric laughed, wiping his head off on the top of Caleb’s shoulder, and yelping when the boy squirmed and sent them both tumbling backward into the mud.

  Laughing as they splashed into the water, Caleb sat up and grinned back at the man, only to yelp when the man lurched forward and pinned him against the soggy grass. Growling back at the man, he wrapped his legs around his waist and twisted, managing to unbalance the unprepared man and pin him to the ground his eyes sparkling as he looked down at the other.

  Realizing how close their faces were, their breath mixing as he kept Emeric’s hands pinned above his head. Biting his lip shyly when he felt the same electric pulse as before, Caleb sat back with a blush on his cheeks and smiled softly.

  “Sorry,” he laughed, looking down at the man and blinking when the other lurched forward. Sealing their lips together, Emeric let out a soft noise as he slid his fingers into Caleb’s tousled dirty blonde hair.

  His breath catching in his chest, Caleb felt his heart flutter in his chest at the kiss. He should have been mad. He should have lashed out and shoved the other off for kissing him, but for some reason, he found himself unable to pull away. Trailing his fingers through Emeric’s soft hair, he gasped when the man pulled back and lightly cupped his cheek in his palm.

  “Sorry, Cher, I don’t know what came over me,” Emeric whispered, trailing his fingers over Caleb’s chest despite his words. “Ever since you woke up and started talkin’, I’ve been feelin’ this strange attraction to you, and I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t stopped thinkin’ about kissin’ you like that since.” He mumbled in his ear.

  Blushing darkly, Caleb looked up at the other and felt the same jolt of electricity he had felt before coursing through him. Closing his eyes, Caleb pressed against Emeric’s warm palm and hummed.

  “I’ve been feeling the same way,” He breathed, looking up at the man and trailing his fingers down his chest. Blushing when Emeric smiled, he looked down shyly.

  “I’m startin’ to think us meeting wasn’t a coincidence,” Emeric mumbled, placing one last kiss to Caleb’s lips before straightening and scooping the smaller man up into his arms again. “I don’t know where ya came from, angel, but wherever it was, I’m glad ya found me.” He winked playfully.

  His heart pounding in his chest, Caleb smiled, pressing his face to Emeric’s chest as he continued to trudge towards the mud, towards town. Feeling the other’s heart thrum under his cheek powerfully, he closed his eyes and tried to figure out exactly what was going on inside his head.

  Gl
ancing up when they approached a small pier, he smiled softly as he was sat down on the grass. Moving over to a particularly thick area of brush, Emeric pulled back a section of the weeds to reveal a small boat hidden within.

  “The easiest way to make sure that no one steals your boat out here is to make sure it’s hidden well,” He grinned, untying the vessel and leading it over to Caleb. Reaching out his hand to help Caleb up, he frowned when something caught his attention. “Did you hear that?” he mumbled, his eyes flashing as he stood over Caleb.

  “Hear what?” Caleb asked, looking confused up at Emeric as the other gestured for him to stay down. Frowning slightly, he obeyed, trying to spot what Emeric was looking for through the thick grass obscuring his vision. “Emeric…” he started, yelping when he heard the sound of something leaping from the brush with a roar that left chills shooting down his spine.

  With a thud, a blur of black collided into Emeric’s side, sending the man tumbling into the water. Dazed, the man hissed as the massive creature let out a bellow and reared up onto its hind legs. Finally able to get a good view of the creature, Caleb gasped and felt terror roll through him, a black bear, standing taller than Caleb by nearly two feet roared as it loomed over the man in the water.

  “Emeric!” Caleb cried, scrambling to his feet and snagging onto a rock, launching it at the bears head with a solid thud. Livid, the bear wheeled around to face him.

  Sharp fangs as thin as his thumbs were instantly bared at him, a snarl falling from the creature’s lips as it fell back down onto its forelegs. Swallowing heavily, Caleb scrambled back only to feel his back collide with something solid.

  Whirling around, he gasped as he was slapped to the side with a heavy hand. Tumbling into the sludge of the riverbank, Caleb looked up with panicked eyes as a man chuckled down at him. Before he could protest, Caleb felt himself being dragged upwards, a hand wrapped around his throat as he was forced in place.

  “I don’t suggest you try anything, Emeric,” Caleb was astounded to hear the bear snarl, the massive beast slowly transforming into a human. He wasn’t much smaller that way. He still stood a solid foot taller than Caleb, and his menacing predatory eyes hadn’t changed at all during his transformation. “I would hate to kill your pet,” The man now standing in front of Emeric beamed.